The present invention relates generally to a system and a method used by a trainer for the massaging of soft tissue areas of the body. More particularly, the present invention relates to the use of electrical stimulation therapy in conjunction with a set of tools for the therapeutic massaging of soft tissue areas of the human body.
Inflammation of soft tissue areas of the human body may occur in many ways. For example, inflammation may occur as the result of a major trauma, such as surgery, or as the result of repeated micro-trauma, such as overtraining. The body responds to such inflammation by forming fibrous adhesions, or scar tissue, as an unavoidable by-product of the healing process. The scar tissue forms in soft tissue areas of the body, such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments, and in the area between the muscle and the connective tissue (fascia). As scar tissue builds up, it prevents the muscles, tendons, and ligaments from properly lengthening and contracting, thereby resulting in lost range of motion, pain, and decreased stability. In addition, the build-up of scar tissue generally causes pain in the affected joint and surrounding areas. This pain often causes the sufferer to believe that an injury still exists; however, in most cases, the injury itself has healed. Therefore, it is desirable to loosen or remodel the scar tissue so that the joint may achieve a greater level of performance.
Scar tissue is removed or remodeled by a process known as soft tissue therapy, which involves use of the trainer's hand to manually massage the skin over the affected soft tissue areas to release scar tissue adhesions and regain lost resting length in the tissue. This type of massage includes cross-frictional massage, deep muscle massage, and rolfing.
One problem associated with manual massage of soft tissue areas is the difficulty in applying the appropriate amount of manual pressure. In some instances, too much pressure may be exerted by the trainer on some soft tissue areas, thereby causing unnecessary discomfort to the patient. In other instances in which hardened scar tissue has built up on tendons and ligaments near bone surfaces, the trainer may not be able to apply sufficient pressure with his or her hands to provide an effective treatment. In addition, it is frequently difficult for the trainer to manually locate or detect scar tissue with sufficient specificity using his or her hand. Furthermore, it has been found that performing manual massage for an extended period of time may result in injuries to the hand of the trainer, such as tendonitis.
Electrical stimulation therapy utilizes electrical current which is passed through a biological system to produce physiochemical and physiological effects on that system. Electrical stimulation therapy ("electrotherapy") is used in the treatment of a variety of debilitating conditions, and is frequently used in soft tissue therapy. For example, electrotherapy has been used extensively in pain management programs, muscle strengthening, iontophoresis, edema reduction, and in the stimulation of denervated muscle, among other uses. Each waveform generated by the source of the electrical current has certain aspects that are optimal for a particular physiological response. By varying the particular waveform, the therapist attempts to optimize the results of the treatment by matching the particular condition to be treated with the waveform most effective in that treatment. For example, classic, or Quadpolar Interferential is believed to be optimal for sensory stimulation. Symmetric, square-wave biphasic current is believed optimal for motor-fiber stimulation. Monophasic current may be used for wound care.
In addition, within each waveform a particular pulse rate may be selected for further optimization. In general, low pulse rates (0-10 Hz) are believed to be superior for more chronic problems, whereas higher pulse rates (80-200 Hz) are believed superior for treatment of acute problems. For example, direct current is believed to be the most effective waveform for treatment with iontophoresis, and also for the stimulation of denervated muscle. High voltage pulsed galvanic (HVPG) waves are preferred for use in edema reduction, pain management and muscle reeducation.
Trainers and physical therapists have found electrotherapy to be an effective tool in the treatment of inflammation of soft tissue areas of the body. Although, electrotherapy may be performed by the therapist prior to, in place of, or after the manual soft tissue therapy described above, it is most common to perform electrotherapy after completing soft tissue therapy. A frequent consequence of soft tissue therapy is a temporary condition of increased inflammation of the soft tissue ("edema"). This increased inflammation may be a result of the massage motion of the therapist's hands during the treatment, or a consequence of the breaking up of the fibrous scar adhesions from the impaired soft tissue area. Electrotherapy may then be utilized to reduce not only this inflammation, but also inflammation remaining from the underlying injury. In conventional electrotherapy, two electrodes are connected to a source of current. One of the electrodes (cathode) is applied at the site of the injury, and the other electrode (anode) is positioned in the vicinity of the "belly" of the muscle. The stimulating current passed through the resulting electrical circuit provides the well-known benefits of electrical stimulation therapy.
One of the disadvantages associated within conventional electrotherapy with regard to soft tissue injuries is that it is generally provided as a separate treatment step following the manual soft tissue therapy. As stated above, this sequence of treatment steps enables the therapist to treat not only the underlying inflammation caused by the original injury, but also any inflammation caused by the massage therapy. However, by adding this step to the treatment session, the length of that session is thereby extended if the patient is to receive the full benefits of the combined manual massage and electrotherapeutic techniques. A further disadvantage associated with conventional electrotherapy is that the conventional electrodes commonly used in this therapy do not provide the therapist with sufficient sensitivity with which to be sure that the electrode used to stimulate the fibrous adhesion is positioned on the patient's skin at the point of maximum benefit for the electrotherapy. Furthermore, when using circular padded electrodes of the type often used in conventional electrotherapy, the therapist is not able to specifically direct the current such that it flows between fibers directly to the source of the injury, to obtain optimal benefit from the treatment.